-Dexter Sports
4:12 PM
Dexter-Sports Inbox

David Ortiz started swinging away last night in front of team doctors. Off of a Tee, Ortiz was hammering the ball left and right. Solid shots over the green monster. Ok, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but after the session doctors thought that he "did ok" in relation to his injured wrist.

Ortiz will have another session tonight, before team officials will decide if he should hit the road with the Red Sox. Manager Terry Francona told a local sports radio station that Ortiz will take batting practice with the team if he travels with them. Kevin Youkalis will be in the starting lineup tonight for the Sox.

Other News and Notes:

• Cardinals Slugger Albert Pujols could be the designated hitter on Thursday when he comes off of the DL. Pujols started running the bases yesterday for the first time. Pujols will be a huge addition to the Cardinal offense. St. Louis is three games back of first place Chicago.
  

• Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi claimed to have apologized to Adam Dunn after making ridiculous remarks regarding Dunn's love for baseball. Well, according to trusted beat writer Hal McCoy, Dunn claims to never have talked to Ricciardi. This just continues to add to the "great" reputation that Ricciardi is building up this season. I feel that his job is about to be taken away from him pretty quickly, and if not now, then by the end of the season.

• Jon Lieber could be pitching his last season of professional baseball. Lieber will reevaluate his career at the end of the season, but life as a reliever has to be getting to him. Lieber has only been used 21 times this season, and after a career where he has been a starter, it has been a real adjustment. I really wouldn't be surprised. Lieber's stuff has been on the decline for a long time.

• Rafael Furcal is making strides in his attempt to come back this season. Furcal has started to take ground balls at shortstop, but could face back surgery if his recent rehab doesn't hold up. Furcal is a free agent in 2009.
  

-Dexter Sports
12:56 PM
Dexter-Sports Inbox

Albert Pujols stumbled out of the batter's box right onto the disabled list. Alfonso Soriano was smashed in the hand by a Jeff Bennett fastball. Six weeks from now, he could be coming back to completely different division standings.

Alfonso Soriano has been a big reason why the Cubs have been winning a lot of ballgames. His ten home runs and 29 RBIs propelled the Cubs in the month of May. He has been a spark on the top of a lineup that has seen fantastic offensive production throughout.

Albert Pujols has been a mainstay in the middle of the Cardinals order. His value goes beyond homers, RBIs and on base percentage. His ability to work counts and be selective to the plate and get timely hits when needed is what the Cardinals will miss. It will be tough for the Cardinals to keep up the pace they have all season. Even hall of fame announcer Marty Brennaman thinks it will be tough, "If that team keeps winning with Pujols out of the middle of their lineup than Tony La Russa is the greatest manager in the history of baseball.” That is coming from an announcer who is known as disliking LaRussa.

With both teams fighting for wins in a tight division, it is imperative that both of these clubs keep chalking up marks in the win column.

To do that, What do these clubs need to do to their roster offensively?...... absolutely nothing.

The Cubs have already went a stretch without Soriano and were able to hold up. From the middle to the end of April, the Cubs were able to win 9 out of fifteen without Soriano. Ryan Theriot held up as the lead off hitter earlier in the year and he will be able to do so again. Theriot, who has a higher on base percentage than Soriano, more stolen bases, and half the strikeouts will set the table for Mark DeRosa at the two spot. With a bunch of guys that play outfield on the roster, it won't be hard for Piniella to try and replace Soriano's production. He simply has to go with the hottest bat.

For the Cardinals, it might be a bit more tough to keep up the pace, but they can easily do it. Though Adam Wainwright made his way to the DL, this pitching staff is quite capable in close games. Chris Duncan will fill in for Albert Pujols and with the power surge of Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel this offense isn't going to slouch when it counts. The only question will be if the middle infield can produce a bit more than usual. When Tony LaRussa is your manager, nothing is out of question.

No matter what happens in this stint, the NL Central will be fun to watch this season. Every single team in the division have been competitive this season.

-Dexter Sports
6:33 PM


We have had some interesting things happen within this week of baseball. Players are becoming eligible in different positions around the league and some are just stepping up that we would not expect. Here is a look at some interesting facts and some great match ups going into tonight's action.

• Looking to reshape you infield? How about sticking Russell Martin at third and Albert Pujols at second base? Joe Torre played Russell Martin at third earlier this week and wasn't shy to state that Martin could see more time there in the weeks to come. Tony Larussa also wasn't shy to play Albert Pujols at 2nd Base when short stop Cesar Izturus was injured. Pujols wanted to play Shortstop...Naturally. Other moves include Carlos Guillen moving to third base with Miguel Cabrera making the transition to first. This will make Guillen eligible in three positions.

• Who would know that at this point of the season, Emil Brown of the Oakland A's would be in the top 5 in Runs Batted in. Great Job to Billy Beane for yet again finding a run producer out of nothing. Brown has 22 Rbis.

• Angels first baseman Casey Kotchman has been hitting fourth between Vladimir Guererro and Torii Hunter. Kotchman has produced so far this year, hitting .337 with 6 long balls. Garrett Anderson, who he is replacing in the four spot, is hitting a measly .235.

-Dexter Sports
1:06 AM

Fumbling around some numbers this evening I found some interesting trends and some things we should be talking about that we aren't. Let's Dig In!

• Arizona Diamondbacks- We know there offense is hot, but did you know they lead almost every statistical category? They are first in the league in: Homers(24) RBIs(86) On Base Percentage(.358) Slugging Percentage(.507) Triples (5) and Runs(89). They are second in average(.277) and third in walks(60). No wonder they can't seem to buy a loss at this point.

• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim- We have heard about the offensive power of arizona through mainstream media, but how about those Angels? They lead the league in hits(159).They are second in doubles(29) and runs(79) and stolen bases(16), and third in homers(20). Why Isn't anyone talking about this offensive explosion?

• Speaking of Stolen Bases, the Giants lead the league in swiped bags(17). Don't you have to get on base to steal them?(pun fully intended)

• Impressively the Brew Crew Have only been caught stealing twice this year so far.

• St. Louis Cardinals: This pitching staff has only allowed four home runs. Wait what, the cardinals? The patched up rotation? Well folks, its that amazing bullpen. The one that many thought was out of its prime. Heres something even more shocking. Last year, that pen never lost if leading after 8 innings. 60-0. Throw in the fact that 7 out of their nine games were save situations, and they are flawless. Whose out of Prime Now?

• Detroit Tigers: I'll tell you who is out of their prime. How about that tiger pitching? The tigers staff leads the league in earned runs with 81. That is 13 MORE than the Giants. Are you kidding me?
  

• Detroit Tigers: Add Insult to injury. Three teams atop the league with 2 shut outs a piece are the Red Sox, Royals, and White Sox. Four of the six shutouts are against the Tigers..

To end on a good note, at least they are on a winning streak now- a 2 game winning streak.